Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Sebastian Tellier – Kilometer EP

Despite having made something of a splash in his native France (with Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk producing his most recent album ‘Sexuality’), Sebastian Tellier, confusingly, remains something of a cult concern elsewhere, even after a memorably daft Eurovision entry last year. Aiming to blast him out of his current ghetto then, his new EP ‘Kilometer’ packages his original track with five new remixes. The original, while a fun piece of pop, is a curious choice for a single: slower and less exuberant than much of his other material, it’s hard not to feel that choosing something a bit looser, more up-tempo and, frankly, more Tellier might have been a wiser choise. The main meat of this EP is found in the remixes though, which prove to be something of a mixed package. Aereoplane’s two mixes – the Radio mix and the Italo 84 mix – prove to be the record’s highlights, both cranking up the pace and danceability of the track. The Ed Banger-isms of the first remix may be more comercial, but it’s the more retro-minded second mix that really stands out, with disgustingly slick synths and vocodered-beyond-understanding vocals brining out the sleazy core of the Tellier original to delightful effect. The remaining three remixes, the A-Trak mix, the Donovan mix and the Moulinex mix, fall somewhat short of this standard – the first two prove somewhat forgettable, while the funk basslines and orgasmic groans found on Moulinex’s effort take the sexuality theme just a little too far into the realm of self-parody. While it’s got its moments of pleasure (pun intended), it’s hard to work out exactly who this record is for: current Tellier fans would rather have more of the man himself, yet it doesn’t prove an easy entry point for any new listeners either.